


The one in which James shows his love through mugs

by Rike



Category: James Bond (Craig movies)
Genre: Fluff, James is an asshole, M/M, Q doesn't take shit, Q is sassy, but also cute, not sorry, woopsie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-25
Updated: 2015-05-25
Packaged: 2018-04-01 04:31:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,211
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4005943
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rike/pseuds/Rike
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>James Bond is his usual asshole-ish self and when Q doesn't take it anymore, Bond makes the next step and is also very cute and romantic.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The one in which James shows his love through mugs

"What is it with this mug?"

"James."

"No, really. I don't understand."

"James!"

"You like that mug better than you like me, don't you?"

"James?"

"Yes?"

"Shut up!"

~*~

"So if you take the street to your left you can get ahead and encircle them."Q says into the empty room, voice clear and relaxed. The next thing he hears is the screeching of wheels on asphalt, checking the monitor with one knowing look he continues to talk to his agent.

"Yes, good. You have about ten seconds 'til the next turn." Q takes a sip of his coffee and starts writing the mission report in the meantime.

"Oh, for God's sake" Bond mutters under his breath and is met with a huff from the other end of the line. "Could you please just finish this and complain about my mug later? We're still on a mission and everybody's listening." Q's voice is still flat as a stone and it makes Bond just that much angrier.

" _We_ are on a mission?" he growls.

"Excuse you" Q says. " Who does all the work here?" Q finishes his sentence when a screeching is heard again, a car door is pushed open and guns are fired. Bond huffs and there are more shots before everything falls silent and the only thing loud and clear are foot steps on the pavement. They stop, Bond inhales deeply and gives the metaphorical thumps up. " They're dead" comes the answer.

~*~

After all is cleared up and done Bond drives back to the hotel, sighing. For a moment the words "I'm getting too old for this" are flashing before his inner eye but he shoves the thought away as far as possible.   
You can' t just retire from the MI6. So he does the only thing he can think of.

"I hope your coffee is all finished" he says, not moving an eye off the street infront of him.

"What makes you think I'm drinking coffee?" Q mutters into his ear. Bond muffles a laugh.

"You always do when I'm on a mission. You drink too much of it, actually. Go to sleep!"

James grins to himself. He loves challenging Q, knowing just the right spots to press down to get him all worked up (even though, just in a metaphorical sense. They're both still dancing around eachother with the knowledge of how they feel. But it's a game to see who's the first to crack. It's driving half of the MI6 crazy, actually). As he gets no answer in return he goes a little further.

"Or you could tell me what you're wearing. We could start a round of phone s - " and with that the live feed to James Bond is cut off and half the MI6 sighs in unsion. Two minutes later 007 recieves a message, saying "I will break into your flat and leave a thousand bloody copies of my m ug just to piss you off". James can't remember the last time he laughed so heartily.

~*~

The first thing Bond does when he arrives in London is showering. It's something like a ritual to him, it's his very own way to cope with this troubling job. All his worries are washed away by the hot water. He is a different person when he comes out again.

He finds his flat unsurprisingly mug - free but grins to himself anyway. Q's probably still in Q - Branch helping other double o's in missions that are none of his business.

Sometimes he's worried about Q's well - being but then again - it's the MI6 they're working for. They're trained for this and it's their job to keep Queen and Country save without second guesses, so he throws the thought away, just like a thousand other ones in the last days. Sighing, he gets himself dressed and makes his way over to recap the mission with M, like always.

Bond can't help but think how soft he's getting lately. Maybe that's how it works when you're getting older, but settling down will never be an option for neither him nor Q or anyone else working for the MI6. Not as long as you are alive anyway. 

~*~

"What are you doing?" Q's head snaps up in surprise and his eyes are met with steel blue ones.

He cleans his throat and pushes his gla sses up his nose. "Working" Q says and lowers his gaze onto the laptop again. Bond hums then, rounding the desk and placing himself right behind his Quartermaster just to make him even more unconcentrated.

James knows very well what effect he has on Q but it's the other way around too. Q may be a geek but he's not dumb and is bloody able to read body language. He sees the way Bond's eyes widen just slightly when he takes off cardigan and tie because he had a particularly hard day, or the way their hands brush just a second longer than necessary when exchanging gears or more often lately, how the oh so witty 007 is at a loss for words when Q says something surprisingly flirty. His eyes fly to Q's neck in these moments, he then swallows and finds his words again. Q is very aware of that.

Bond lies a hand upon Q's hip and starts whispering into his ear. "You know you could have me naked right here on this table." Q's fingers stop typing on the keybord on his laptop for a moment, he turns around and hits James with a gaze of stone, expression schooled and feelings hidden behind a mask of coolness.   
"No. Because this" he gestures between himself and Bond "is a game and you" he bores his finger into James' chest "bloody arrogant, self - loving asshole are in no position to think it's a) okay to talk to me on a mission while everyone is listening like _that_ and b) I'm not gonna be any of your bloody Bond Girls just because I'm attracted to you. I have some dignity left, thank you very much."

Baffled, Bond stands there staring at the ceiling for a moment. When he leaves Q's office he feels a lot of eyes on him but ignores all of them and doesn't stop walking for a very long time. He's walking home to be exact and it's the first time in ages he does that.

The next morning he speaks with Eve and is surprised to know that yesterdays outbreak wasn't exactly his fault but the fault of the ever so important scrabble mug Q likes so much and apparently it's gone.

Bond sighs and enters Q - Branch exactly five minutes later. He knows that Q was sent home to get some rest after working a full 72 hour shift and starts searching immediatly.

It's not surprising that he finds the mug in the time of 10 minutes in an abandoned drawer one metre away from Q's actual working space. James even washes it and places it back on Q's desk, smiles into one of the security cameras and leaves without a word.

It's not that he dislikes the mug. God, he actually knows that it was M who gave it to him on his first working day. James just needs something to complain about. For the fun of it and it brightens up Q visibly, too. So why the hell not?

~*~

"You are an arsehole."

"And you are pissy when you're not getting enough sleep."

"I hate you."

"A simple thanks would have made it too, but okay."

Q hangs up with a moan.

~*~

"007?" There's a click on the other line, then a sigh. "I'm allright."

Q nods to himself and tries to track down Bond once more.

"There's no signal coming through. I don't know what happened. Fixing it now." There's one more gun shot then silence.

"Oh, for God's sake" Q mutters.

"007?" There's no reply.

"Bond?" Nothing.

"Fuck!" Q types in a few lines of computer code and sighs as he sees a familiar red point blinking on the virtual map infront of him. 20 seconds later the live feed is back on too.

"James Bond, if you don't answer me now I'm going to hunt you down and kill you myself" Q whispers more to himself but Bond hears it anyway.

"Sounding worried" 007 says. 

"About my equipment" Q is fast to say.

"Of course."

~*~

Q puts on his most angry face, takes a deep breath and waits for James to come in.

"I told you not to take that turn." Q finally looks up from his laptop and is surprised to see James not in his usual suit but sweatpants and a crisp white shirt.

"Still angry?" Bond asks, grinning like that little asshole he is.

"Don't be so smug."

"You were worried."

Q looks up from his laptop. "What if I was?" he asks. "Yeah, what if I was? It wouldn't matter anyway because this is how it is and how it will always be. You know very well that I'm always worried when you're on a mission and I can't help you. So let's not talk about it."

"Fine" Bond says. "But I have one more question."

"James" Q sighs.

"No, let me, please."

Q nods. He can tell that whatever Bond has to say must be at least slightl y important so he gives him his attention.

"Will you go out with me?"

Q is left baffled and looks like a fish on the dry ground. He gulps and mouths a "what".

"Why" he finally asks.

"Oh, don't be so stubborn. This little game between us is getting more difficult than a relationship could be and it's really stressfull dealing with your rejection when we both know that we're drawn to eachother."

"Sounds...reasonable."

Bond laughs. "It is."

"Okay then." 

~*~

Two months later and not much has changed.

Except it has.

Bond is, after what felt like an eternity, happy again. Though careful not to say the three words because he's sure they're doomed and will bring death, so he leaves it be. But Q doesn't need to hear them. He knows, and Bond knows that Q knows. Although it does happen that they almost eat eachother up in front of the whole Q Branch. Often. There's something else that, the deeper they fall, Q can't help but notice. Something that is only ever expected when a certain double - 0 needs to get secrets out of someone, women mostly.

Bond is a hopeless romantic.

Well, not in the way normal people are. But he tends to make little gestures, not necessarily in a romantic fashion, but the means behind it are. Like making dinner before he leaves for a mission. He sends Tanner out then, to get it and bring it to Q so he doesn't starve while guiding 007 through a shit ton of action filled stuff. Or staying in bed long after they had sex, placing sweet kisses all over Q's back and waking him to watch the sunrise together, even though he usually would've been up for a few hours already, getting himself fit.

And so it comes that Q and James are huddled together on the couch in Q's flat, watching crappy telly whilst Q is typing away on his laptop before Bond puts an end to it with shutting the damned thing close.

Q sighs and stands, walking into the kitchen to make himself some tea because honestly, sometimes this man doesn't understand that he's a Quartermaster and the work never stops for him, but if he didn't want to have a new Walther then so it be.

He's about to grab his usual mug when two very unfamiliar cups are catching his attention. He must be hallucinating so he closes the cupboard again, takes a deep breath and opens it once more. But he just can't stop staring.

"James?" he calls out.

"Yes?" comes the answer.

"What the bloody hell is that?" 

Q hears Bond giggling, fucking _giggling_ , before he jumps off the sofa and enters the kitchen. The Quartermaster is holding both new mugs now, looking between them as if a goblin would be dancing on them. James has his smug arsehole - grin on again and it honestly takes all Q's strength to not throw the mugs at him right here and now.

"You like them?" Bond asks a little hopefull.

"' _Love is a dangerous disadvantage but he's an M_   _I6 Agent, so it's okay._ '? Really?" Q looks over the rim of his glasses, not believing what the hell is just going on. James just smirks.

"Read the other one!"

"' _Love is a dangerous disadvantage but he's a genius, so it's okay_ .' God, James, I never knew you were that sappy."

Bond crosses his arms infront of his torso and bites his lip, still smiling like an idiot.

"But good to know that the domestic bliss is warming your cold heart." Q is smiling too now and really, it's such a sweet gesture, he can't he lp but put his arms around James' waist and kiss him until both are beaming like school girls.

"Hopeless romantic, James Bond." he laughs. "And yes I like them. Very much. But don't expect me to replace my wonderfull scrabble mug."

**Author's Note:**

> The only thing I'm good at is fluff. I would be sorry but nOPE.


End file.
